What Happens at a USCIS Biometrics Appointment

When you use for a benefit from U.South. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — such as a work allow, citizenship, green carte or even a greenish carte du jour renewal — a standard office of the process is a biometrics appointment (also known as a biometrics screening). It may sound scary, just it shouldn't be a concern for nearly people. Regardless, it'southward important to understand what happens at your USCIS appointment, what to look, and who should be concerned.

The technical definition of "biometrics" means that a person'south unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded as a means of confirming identity. In simple terms, USCIS volition obtain your photograph, fingerprints and have you sign your proper noun. This procedure confirms your identity so that USCIS provides benefits to the correct person and facilitates the necessary criminal background cheque. A biometrics screening is not an interview.

biometrics appointment or screening at USCIS

USCIS Biometrics Appointment Notice

biometrics appointment notice (Form I-797)

USCIS volition mail y'all the biometrics appointment notice after y'all submit your application or petition. The appointment will have identify before you receive any benefits or a card in the mail service. The alphabetic character will arrive every bit an "Awarding Support Center (ASC) Appointment Notice" (Course I-797C, Observe of Action) and will include information about the appointment, time and location for your ASC appointment. The date itself takes nigh people xv to 30 minutes.

USCIS recommends that yous attend the biometrics appointment at the Application Back up Center that has been scheduled for you lot. If the location of this ASC is not user-friendly for you, some applicants accept been able to reschedule the appointment at an alternative ASC. A change in location is at the discretion of USCIS. For a list of ASCs, come across the USCIS Service and Office Locator.

Once again, USCIS will schedule the time and location for you lot. USCIS recommends that you lot appear at the ASC which has been assigned to you.

ASC Biometrics Notice Codes

You may notice that your ASC Biometrics Date Notice includes a code in the top correct part of the letter. The code is intended to bespeak the type of biometrics processing to be performed. The possible values are:

  • Lawmaking i – fingerprinting for 10 prints only
  • Code 2 – photograph, signature and index finger press-print
  • Code 3 – photo, signature, index finger press-impress and fingerprinting for 10 prints

Rescheduling a Biometrics Appointment

USCIS generally recommends that you lot attend the engagement that they schedule for you. Even so, you may reschedule the date if necessary. USCIS no longer accepts written requests to reschedule the appointment. Instead, you must call USCIS at i-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) before the engagement and time of your original date and establish good crusade for rescheduling. If y'all fail to call before your scheduled appointment or neglect to found expert cause, USCIS may not reschedule the engagement. If yous fail to appear for your originally scheduled biometric services engagement and the appointment is not rescheduled, they volition consider the related application, petition, or request abandoned and, as a result, USCIS may deny information technology.

Depending on the type of awarding, region of the country, and workload, USCIS may initially schedule the biometrics engagement on twenty-four hours inside 3 to viii weeks of filing your USCIS form. USCIS Application Back up Centers cannot reschedule the appointment for more than 30 days. Therefore, it's probable they will a reschedule date inside a 30-day time frame from the date of the reschedule asking.

Rescheduling your appointment will filibuster your case. It is likely that the application/petition yous have filed will be denied if biometrics is not satisfied within a reasonable time frame every bit scheduled by USCIS.

application support center for biometric screenings

Families with Biometrics Appointments

If you have more than one person in your family that requires a biometrics screening, it's more than user-friendly to have them scheduled together. USCIS will attempt to schedule your family's biometrics appointments together. Unfortunately, this doesn't e'er happen.

If you have received your appointment notice, only your dependent(s) have not, information technology may be possible for your family members to attend your appointment. The USCIS ASC may agree to capture their biometrics on the aforementioned solar day even if they practise not have scheduled appointments. The determination to combine the biometric screenings is at the discretion of the ASC. The ASC may reject to practice then.

Generally, children under fourteen years of age are exempt from biometrics fee. However, your child must still appear at the ASC if a biometrics appointment has been scheduled by USCIS. You cannot ignore this notice. Information technology's probable that your child is being called in for a "Code 2" biometrics engagement. For children who are adjusting status, this information is necessary for the generation of the permanent resident carte du jour (also known as a greenish carte).

How to Prepare for the USCIS Biometrics Appointment

When you lot get your biometric services appointment notification, it will besides include a listing of items to bring to the engagement. In addition to the appointment notice itself (Grade I-797C), you lot volition be required to bring photo identification. Typically, acceptable documents include:

  • Permanent resident card (green card)
  • Passport or national photograph identification issued by your dwelling house country
  • Commuter'south license
  • Military photo identification
  • State-issued photo identification card

fingerprint to be used as part of a criminal background check

When you appear for your biometrics appointment, USCIS volition digitally capture your fingerprints, photograph and signature on a LiveScan machine. When it is time to sign your proper noun, USCIS volition ask you to attest to the truth of the following argument:

I declare under penalization of perjury that I have reviewed and empathise my application, petition, or request as identified by the receipt number displayed on the screen above, and all supporting documents, applications, petitions, or requests filed with my awarding, petition, or request that I (or my attorney or accredited representative) filed with USCIS, and that all of the information in these materials is complete, true, and correct.

The language is only displayed in English or Spanish. If you require a different foreign language, USCIS recommends that you select the appropriate language translation and review it earlier you announced for your ASC engagement.

When to Be Concerned Most a Biometrics Engagement

Most people don't need to worry virtually the USCIS biometrics appointment and subsequent FBI background check. USCIS will process this information through the FBI database in order to check for any criminal records.

However, if you think you might accept a criminal record, contact an immigration lawyer before going to a USCIS biometrics date. (If you retrieve y'all might accept a criminal record, y'all should contact an immigration lawyer earlier filing whatsoever USCIS form.) Some crimes volition make y'all ineligible for clearing benefits. A lawyer tin request a background bank check before USCIS does and deal with it as necessary.

After a Biometrics Engagement

Once you take completed your biometrics appointment, you will exist given a postage stamp on your appointment notice confirming that you attended. Go along this document condom. Information technology serves as proof if USCIS cannot find its tape stating that yous attended the engagement.

USCIS biometrics stamp

The next step depends on the type of application you filed. Some, like union cases, crave an interview; others, such as employment-based petitions, may only require interviews when there are issues that need further inquiry.

If you become another biometrics engagement find in the following weeks, don't panic. This is normally the effect of smudged prints, and fingerprints volition demand to exist retaken to complete the background bank check. USCIS will not charge an additional fee.

Depending on your application type and the service center processing it, it may be several weeks (or months) before you hear from USCIS again. Remember, yous tin can e'er check the status of your example online.

Boosted Biometrics Appointments

There are many reasons USCIS may require an boosted biometrics appointment for yous. Biometrics information is considered valid for a period of 15 months. Therefore, it's very mutual for applicants to nourish multiple biometrics engagement. This tin can occur if an application or petition is pending for several months or the person has requested a carve up immigration benefit from USCIS.

Biometrics Appointment FAQs

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